Breaking: 81-year-old man wishing to be reelected in Algeria

The ruling party in Algeria, the FLN, has chosen President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as a candidate for the presidential election on April 18, party leader Moad Bouchareb said Saturday.

Bouteflika, 81, has been in post since 1999 but has only been seen in public very rarely since his 2013 stroke placing him in a wheelchair. It is likely that he will win a fifth term, with the Algerian opposition remaining weak and fragmented.

He will still have to make an official announcement, probably in a letter that will be read on his behalf, by March 3.

"At the FLN, we decided to choose Bouteflika as a candidate for the presidential election in April. Let's be ready for the campaign, "Bouchareb told about 2,000 fans in a sports stadium in Algiers.

"We chose it because we need continuity and stability," he added.

Bouteflika's poor health had created months of uncertainty about his possible re-election.

His re-election would provide short-term stability to the FLN's elite, the military and trade magnates, and delay a potentially controversial succession.

But the president will have to find a way to connect with the young population of the North African country, nearly 70% of whom are under 30 years old.

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Bouteflika is part of a slimming elite of veterans who gained independence from France during the 1954-1962 war and who are heading since Algeria.

His last meeting with a senior foreign affairs official took place during a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on 17 September. A previous meeting with Merkel and a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte have both been canceled.

Algeria has avoided the great political upheaval observed in many other Arab countries over the last decade, but has seen demonstrations and strikes. Unemployment remains high, especially among young people, many of whom have left the country to seek better wages and living conditions.

The economy has improved over the past year as oil and gas revenues have recovered, allowing the authorities to ease the austerity measures imposed when they were halved between 2014 and 2017 .

Oil and gas revenues account for 60% of the budget and 94% of export earnings. But Algeria has about $ 80 billion in reserves and almost no external debt.

Bouteflika remains popular with many Algerians, who attribute to him the end of the country's long civil war by offering amnesty to Islamist veterans.

Supporters say his mind stays alive, even if he needs a microphone to talk about. The opposition says it is no longer able to run again and several candidates, including a retired general, have announced their intention to challenge Bouteflika.

The government said it wanted to diversify the oil and gas economy, but members of the ruling elite opposed openness to foreign investment.

This has left the state-dominated economy and businesses run by business moguls.

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